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False River rehab project gets more funding

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NEW ROADS - The state plans to pour more money into improving the water quality in False River in Pointe Coupee Parish.

Phase two of the project is now in the works after the State Bond Commission approved $350,000 for the project. People in Pointe Coupee Parish feel it is worth spending money to save False River.

"This is the money lake," said business owner Jim Major. "It's the people, tax dollars, sales tax and revenue for the parish for Pointe Coupee."

The project on the south end of False River will finish up soon. Things are just beginning on the north flat, and the parish is considering three options, according to Police Juror Kyle Olinde.

Contractors could pump silt out of False River and into landfill pits nearby. They could also build a peninsula on the north end, similar to the ring levee island built in phase one on the south flat. The third option would be to pump silt onto undeveloped property along the shoreline. Olinde says the third option would be the cheapest and easiest to improve water quality.

"Well I think it's the biggest bang for the buck. Pump the silt here and the water will flow back into the lake. We don't lose any lake front," he said. "It's a 3,200 acre lake. If we keep filling it in with land, sooner or later we're not going to have much lake left."

The $350,000 will go toward planning and studying silt impact on the north flat. The parish has also secured more than $1 million from the state to pay for the work on the north end. However, it is up to the Core of Engineers to decide what is best for the lake. People along False River say they are just glad something will happen.

"I'm tickled to death. It's the future. It's the future for the parish, the river, for the lake, the ecosystem," said Major.